Dave Chappelle's Block Party

If you're a fan of Dave Chappelle—whose standup routines and recently-aborted cable TV show have won him near-cult status—or an aficionado of hip-hop and rap music, this concert movie will be manna from heaven. It's a record of a big free street bash the comedian hosted in Brooklyn in 2004, to which he invited a cross-section of folk from his native Ohio—as well as a slew of top musical performers, including Kanye West, the Fugees, the Roots, and Mos Def. Michel Gondry's film showcases Chappelle as an amiable guy, full of amusing adlibs and one-liners. Unfortunately, too much footage is devoted to Chappelle walking around his hometown, asking people (who all fawn over him) if they want tickets to his party. Also, like most comedians, Chappelle has a habit of making jokes at the expense of others, although he's usually rather gentle (as when he pokes fun at a music teacher whose Ohio band comes to the party). Still, there's something a little unseemly about how he and Gondry treat an oddball couple (aging hippie and Gloria Swanson-type) who live near the concert site, encouraging viewers to laugh at them. On the music side, the numbers are annoyingly snipped into tiny bits rather than played out in full. Chappelle fans will definitely enjoy this Party, even if others won't be quite as bowled over. A strong optional purchase. [Note: Available in either unrated widescreen or full screen versions, or a R rated full screen version, DVD extras include the 29-minute “making-of” featurette “September in Brooklyn,” the 19-minute featurette “Ohio Players: The Bus Ride” on Chappelle's traveling to Ohio to invite people to the party, an option to watch the film with six additional minutes of extended musical performances, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a film sure to appeal to the comic's fans.] (F. Swietek)